Best AAA games - Everything you should know about Triple A

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves

The Uncharted series at a time was one of the system sellers for pre-PS5 generations of PlayStation, and it remains one of the finest action-adventure series in video games.

It helps that the protagonist, Nathan Drake, has the kind of roguish charm making a slaughter of hundreds of goons feel like a nice afternoon jaunt. Uncharted 4 is the conclusion of Nathan’s journey, and a spectacular one at that.

Developer Naughty Dog, famous also for The Last of Us 1 & 2, made A Thief’s End an exciting, cinematic experience filled to the brim with creative set pieces, interesting puzzles, and likeable, memorable characters. The quality of graphics and animations was top-tier as well, and it still looks great four years later (at the time of writing). Definitely one of the best games in the genre.

Thanks to the Legacy of Thieves Collection, Uncharted 4 finally came to PC in 2022, the first of the series to make the jump.

Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection (PC)

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God of War

2018’s God of War revitalised the series in a big way. Since Kratos murdered his way through the entire Greek pantheon and there was no god left to kill, he had a several crises and decided to go north.

As a result the latest (although the sequel is already in the works at the time of writing) God of War has the old Spartan tangle with Norse gods in the snow-covered Scandinavian landscapes.

GoW changed quite a lot from the originals. Kratos has more chill now, and a bratty son. The game is presented via a third-person perspective, and the map is more organically connected, rather than cut into distinct kill or puzzle rooms. It also makes the most out of the hardware, delivering stunning graphics, excellent soundtrack, and an epic story of gods and running from one’s past.

One of the best titles on PlayStation 4 now also on PC, with impressive graphical upgrades

God of War (PC)

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Total War: Warhammer III

The final part of the Warhammer Fantasy-based subseries of Total War is also the final stage of the evolution of this fascinating venture.

Not only does it introduce new mechanics, but also fleshes out some factions which were a marginal presence in the original wargame, such as Grand Cathay, Kislev, or Ogre Kingdoms. On top of that, you even get a customizable Demon Prince if you go Chaos.

Chaos itself has a mighty presence, with detailed armies of the Four Gods being as vibrant and disturbing as ever. Once the relevant update drops you’ll also be able to merge the map of TWWH3 with the maps of the two previous entries for a huge Mortal Empires campaign. If you played and loved the first two games, complete the collection with Total War Warhammer 3 and conquer the world.

Total War: Warhammer III

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Red Dead Redemption 2

Rockstar Games’ cowboy epic presents one of the most incredibly detailed, immersive, stunning open worlds of its generation.

There are detailed, complex animations for most, if not all actions you can take; there’s a dynamic, immersive dialogue system; the massive map hides many secrets to discover, and prized animals to hunt for glory and trade. It’s easy to just wander off and got lost in this world.

The story takes place a few years before the original RDR, and we get to play through the events which led to the fall of Van Der Linde’s gang, playing the role of Arthur Morgan, rather than Marston. We have a pleasant, but not distracting, degree of control over Arthur, including his behaviour and appearance, and the person we make him is going to influence what kind of ending he gets.

Red Dead Redemption 2

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Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village is a sequel to RE7 both in its first-person gameplay and in its story, once again putting you in the shoes of Ethan Winters, a man who can’t catch a break.

This time, after some time of peace, horror crawls back to his life: Ethan’s daughter get kidnapped, wife gets killed, and Ethan himself wounds up in a creepy European village ruled by monstrous lords and ladies.

RE8 not only features many memorable locations based on different horror styles, but its plot also provides a new context to the overarching story of the series, including the backstory of the usual source of problems in the Resident Evil setting. If you can’t get enough of RE weirdness seen through the eyes of a person who really isn’t equipped to deal with any of it, Village is worth checking out.

Resident Evil 8 Village

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Halo Infinite | Campaign

A long-awaited sequel to the beloved series of first-person shooter, Halo Infinite puts you back in the armored boots of Master Chief.

His journeys brought him to another Halo installation, this one occupied by the Banished, liberated former troops of the fallen Covenant. What follows is an open-world FPS adventure and a great multiplayer mode utilizing all the new tricks you got used to in the campaign

There are several solid multiplayer modes for teams of various sizes, including classics like Deathmatch and Capture the Flag. Thanks to new features introduced in HI you get extra mobility via a grappling hook, but there’s also a good selection of vehicles, because what kind of Halo game would lack vehicular combat, both on the ground and in the air?

Halo Infinite | Campaign (Windows / Xbox)

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Ghost of Tsushima

Ghost of Tsushima remains confined to the PlayStation ecosystem. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s one of the best open world games of its generation with both style and substance to spare.

It takes place during a real historical event: the Mongol invasion of Japan. The story follows Jin Sakai, a samurai who finds himself torn between rigid honor and fighting against invaders by any means necessary.

Ghost of Tsushima places you on a vast and beautiful map of the island of Tsushima and gives you both an open world worth exploring, and a dramatic storyline to follow. There’s a solid combat system, based around several unlockable stances, but you are also encouraged to use stealth and sabotage to terrify the invaders and thin out their ranks before entering open combat.

Ghost of Tsushima

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Watch Dogs: Legion

Legion is an interesting iteration on the formula of the Watch Dogs series. Instead of a gruff dude Aiden Pearce or young and energetic hacktivist Marcus Holloway you can play… that person sitting on a bench over there.

WDL allows you to recruit virtually anyone you encounter on the street, provided you can solve their problems, and the procedural generation can create thousands of unique recruits.

Watch Dogs: Legion also presents a neat, nearly cyberpunk vision of London, controlled by the invasive ctOS surveillance system and with enforcers from the Albion private security company replacing police. The recreation of the City is stunning and detailed, and there are some cool systems you can engage with, like large drones your recently recruited hacker granny can fly on.

Watch Dogs: Legion

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Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

With Ancient Greece and Ancient Egypt exhausted as a topic, the Assassin’s Creed series skipped Ancient Rome as a topic and plunged straight into early Middle Age, specifically: the Viking era.

As a warrior called Eivor (Eivor can be male or female, or you can leave the decision to the game) you’ll raid and pillage English villages and found your own. Or you could go exploring.

The world of AC: Valhalla is beautiful, and more filled with activities than even Origins or Odyseey. And many of them are very thematic, such as flyting – Norse verbal battles, or working on cairns, a neat physics-based minigame. Valhalla is broad, deep, and thanks to a smaller commitment to historical accuracy than previous entries it can dig into Norse and old English myths in cool ways.

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

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Jedi: Fallen Order

Respawn’s Jedi: Fallen Order is a solid proof that there is still space and demand for story-based Star Wars games.

It is also a great game with great level design, cool combat system reminiscent of Souls-likes, and several vastly different planets presenting unique challenges. As Cal Kestis, a Padawan who managed to survive Order 66, you’ll regain your Force abilities, face your past, and fight the Empire.

The storyline is very well told, with memorable characters with messed up pasts, so Cal fits right in among them. There’s some customisation, mostly through different ponchos and lightsaber colours Cal can equip and unlocking new Force powers over the course of the story can open new pathways on already explored maps. Many of them hide useful secrets, or at least open a shortcut.

Jedi: Fallen Order

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Devil May Cry 5

Devil May Cry 5 was probably one of the best-looking game of 2019, thanks to the RE Engine.

The latest chapter in the story of Sparda’s descendants not only looks great, but also sounds great, and features three very different playable characters, with the fourth available through a Special Edition or DLC, depending on your platform. Help Dante, Nero, and newcomer V defeat demon prince Urizen.

DMC5’s offer is quite extensive. There are several difficulty modes, the 3 (or 4) playable characters, a challenging Blood Palace mode, and a safe area to test your combos. There’s even a good codex, providing backgrounds on monsters, characters and weapons. It’s a full package, and well worth giving it a shot if you enjoy fast-paced, hack and slash games with very high skill ceiling.

Devil May Cry 5

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Control

Remedy’s Control came suddenly and turned out to be an outstanding TPS/ Action-adventure game with some really cool ideas about its world and story.

You’re playing as Jesse Farden, a woman who, through circumstances you’ll discover yourself, ends up being a director of an agency collecting and cataloguing paranormal phenomena, in a manner similar to the SCP Foundation.

The game’s blend of superpowers, brutalist architecture, bizarre events, and more than a few horror elements makes Control a high-quality, highly engaging story on top of being a very good game. There are even ties to Remedy Entertainment’s previous work, Alan Wake. And on top of that, Control looks amazing, fully utilising the modern tech to create eerie atmosphere and odd locations.

Control

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Doom (2016)

Before Doom (2016) came along nobody seemed to put faith in the old way of doing first-person shooters.

Intense, fast, focused almost entirely on running, shooting, and turning demons into blood splatter. This Doom is a kinetic joy, presented with great graphics, amazing heavy metal soundtrack, and one of the best shotguns in gaming. And, curiously, there’s even a pretty cool storyline. In DOOM!

The Doomslayer, a silent, but angry protagonist of the game begins the game chained to a stone slab while demons are ravaging the facility which recovered his sarcophagus. After that you occasionally listen to arrogant scientists, collect new weapons, and try to prevent hell’s armies from spilling into out reality. There are even fun collectibles and hidden levels from original Doom. It’s a full package.

Doom (2016)

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Destiny 2

The first Destiny was solid, but the sequel is just great.

There is a stronger emphasis on telling its story in-game rather than in external resources, there are even better graphics, and more of the great gunplay Bungie is known for. Destiny 2 grew a lot since release, and at this point is a large, diverse game with tones of loot, locations to scout, and quite a few exciting classes with different playstyles.

If you don’t know about either Destiny, what you’re looking at is a great looter shooter set in a semi-SF universe centred on the Solar system. Although your primary weapons will be a variety of firearms, from space revolvers to space bazookas. However, each class (Titan, Warlock, Hunter) and subclass (several per class) also has amazing abilities, like casting flaming blades at your enemies.

Destiny 2 is a free to play video game.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Deluxe

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Call of Duty: Cold War

The Call of Duty series is heavily populated some of the best first-person shooters in the genre, and most of its campaigns are tense, dramatic festivals of tightly directed action sequences.

CoD: Cold War sees you go on international black ops mission on orders from Ronald Reagan, and you’ll even get make some ending-influencing decisions during the campaign.

There are also multiplayer modes, both traditional PvP and the cooperative Zombies mode, both made to the standards of the series. There’s also an updated Create-a-Class option from Modern Warfare for an extra degree of customisation In multiplayer. With great graphics, action set pieces, and multiplayer as a good as ever, Cold War is a solid entry into the long-running series.

Call of Duty: Cold War

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Apex Legends

Apex Legends launched out of nowhere, exploded momentarily, and even through the initial boom simmered down over time, it remains a thriving game steadily updated with new champions and balance tweaks.

There’s over a dozen different playable characters with unique movesets and playstyles, many influenced by the mechanics of Titanfall 2, with which it shares the developer and setting.

A typical match of AL involved twenty teams, three players each, trying to get good gear and survive long enough to be the last team standing. Unlike games like PUBG or Fortnite, Apex Legends is also a hero shooter, so figuring out how to utilise to you team’s benefit. Best of all, Apex legends is free to play at its core, so you can check it out at your leisure any time.

Apex Legends | Champion Edition

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Metro: Exodus

After two games set in the claustrophobic tunnels of the Moscow underground, Metro Exodus sees Artyom and his family go on a cross-country trip in a train.

The trip is going to be a cause for some interesting revelations, but also much hardship, and you’ll be there every step of the way. Metro Exodus has a much more open structure than the previous games, too, in addition to more linear missions.

Introduction of sandbox areas came with a number of other features, such as scavenging (which fuels the crafting system), dynamic weather, or a day/night cycle. Since the game’s story plays out over a year, there are also changing seasons to emphasise that. There are also different endings based on the decisions you made over the campaign, so be mindful of that when you play.

Metro: Exodus

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Doom: Eternal

Somehow Doom: Eternal manages to be even more metal than it’s immediate predecessor, 2016’s Doom, described elsewhere in this list.

Set some time after the Mars adventure concluded, Earth has fallen to the demons, which mean the Doomslayer has a lot of work to perform in a target-rich environment. What more could you want from a first-person shooter in this series?

There are new weapons, such as the Crucible Blade or armour-mounter flame thrower. There is some expanded movement, useful when you’re looking for secrets hidden on the maps. There are new mini-boss and boss-level demons for you to kill, and oddly enough, we even get more information about Doomslayer’s background, mostly just hinted at in the previous game. This game is a lot.

Doom: Eternal

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Monster Hunter: World

Monster Hunter World turned out to be massive hit, and for good reasons. Capcom’s action RPG features cool monsters, fourteen categories of oversized weapons, and several detailed, beautiful biomes.

When you’re not on a hunt, it’s fun to just get a ghillie mantle and just watch what small and big monsters do when they aren’t trying to eat you. It’s like walking among dinosaurs, in many ways.

Of course, the game is not a walk in the Jurassic Park, and getting used to its combat may take some time, because it’s more deliberate and sometimes less responsive than combat in, say, Devil May Cry. But it does feel great when a good hit with a hammer slams a monster’s head into the ground and stuns it for a while. Thanks to detailed believable animations, hunting feels amazing.

Monster Hunter World

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Monster Hunter Rise

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The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

For many people The Witcher 3 is THE triple-A story-oriented action RPG.

CD Projekt Red’s game features vivid art direction supported by great graphics, vast, immersive maps, and a story which resonated with millions of players. It’s the last chapter in Geralt of Rivia’s journey to reclaiming his memory and his old life after a few years he’d spent being mostly kind of dead.

Even several years later the sunsets in Velen, or the raw beauty of the Kaer Morhen valley make a lasting impression. On a journey to find and help his adopted daughter, Ciri, Geralt gets tangled in the business of kings and mages once again, and he’ll deal with the fallout of his decisions. When you start your adventure with TW3 be ready to be glued to your PC/console for more than a hundred hours.

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

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Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

After the new formula to the Assassin’s Creed series introduced in origins, Odyssey pushed the series even further towards the action RPG direction.

It takes place between 431 and 422 BC, and the vision of Greece it offers is rich in detail, vivid colours, and interesting people. It also has some monsters, which are supposed to be the remnants of the meddlesome and mighty Precursors.

The game allows you to pick which sibling you’re going to play, Kassandra or Alexios, and much of the game deals with family problems which you witness in the first stages of the game. Once you’re let loose on the world you’re free to explore, complete quests and side quests, and just take in the views, because the vision of ancient Greece in Odyssey is stunning and full of climbable monuments.

Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey

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The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds is Obsidian’s cheeky science-fiction action RPG set in the “humans are colonising other planets” kind of future.

You even get your own spaceship which serves as both a hub from which you embark on quests, and a fast travel solution, transporting you from location to location as needed and desired. Unlike Pillars of Eternity, TOW is a first-person game, with strong emphasis on action.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the game is lacking in the role-playing department. There are stats, companions, and decisions to be made, and your playthrough’s story can be unique thanks to the flaw/perk system, popping up when some element of the game turns out to be a hard to overcome. Of course the decisions you make throughout the game will influence the shape of the ending you get.

The Outer Worlds

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Final Fantasy VII Remake

Final Fantasy VII is arguably the most beloved entry in the series, and the fans have called for a remake for years.

It’s fortuitous, then, that the Remake turns out to be quite excellent even if it only contains the city of Midgar so far. Every location has been lovingly remodelled to be suitable for a third-person perspective gameplay, and the city is brimming with life and personality.

The combat system is also quite different, more dynamic and responsive than the original ATB, although there are still elements reminiscent of that solution, such as many available spells and selectable special attacks. The story includes some interesting new elements, and while it doesn’t stray too far from the original, there is room to be surprised, especially with side stories.

After some time spent as a PS exclusive, FF7 Remake also arrived on PC in late 2021, with improved graphics.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

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Code Vein

Code Vein is going to appeal to people, who enjoyed Dark Souls, but wished it could have more of a shōnen anime aesthetic.

It’s also going to appeal to people who enjoy cool, over the top special attacks, post-apocalyptic settings, and vampire stories. CV has it all, blended together in a very pleasant, engaging way. Especially the combat and progression systems make the game really interesting.

The class system involves collecting and switching between the game’s many different “Blood Codes”, each offering a number of Gifts, ranging from passive perks to new combos and attacks. The fun part is that gifts can be transferred from class to class, opening a way to interesting builds. Code Vein is a solid substitute if you’re looking for a new Soulslike with an aesthetic distinct from Dark Souls.

Code Vein

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Cyberpunk 2077

2020’s most anticipated release, and still upcoming at the time of writing, Cyberpunk 2077 was a long time coming, announced tenuously back in 2013 with a spiffy trailer.

CDPR’s newest action RPG takes place in Night City, the default setting for Mike Pondsmith’s classic tabletop RPG Cyberpunk -/2020/Red. You’re going to play as V, a young hotshot mercenary hoping to make a name for themselves in the futuristic city.

V ends up with a chip containing a digital spirit of a long-dead celebrity, and it’s going to be a source of many problems. CDPR spared no expense in creating Night City as a place full of life, activity, and many conflicting groups fighting for influence. Look for jobs from corporation, make deals in gang hideouts, have some fun in a club, have a ride out of town, the Night City is yours to explore.

Cyberpunk 2077

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Dragon Ball FighterZ

It is a remarkable achievement that a game with 3D models and 3D environments looks so much like the all-time classic anime Dragon Ball Z.

Arc System Works’ team painstakingly recreated the art style and animation and the result is simply outstanding. The game itself is also an excellent fight game, with some cool ideas and just as spectacular and over the top as the source material.

It relies a lot on the tag team system, having the player pick three characters for their team, and during the battle they can call them in for a quick assist in a combo, or make them the primary fighter. There’s even a story mode, revolving about the quest for revenge of a new character, Android 21, and features some of the most famous heroes and villains, such as Frieza or Cell.

Dragon Ball FighterZ

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Injustice 2

Injustice 2 takes place a few years after the story of Injustice: Gods Among Us ended, and without spoiling much, there’s a power vacuum and people very eager to fill it.

What follows is more of the superhero and supervillain fighting games built on the foundations set by NetherRealms’ main series, Mortal Kombat. If you like DC comics and excellent fighting games, giver it a shot.

Injustice 2 introduced equippable items which will change the appearance of heroes and villains, and affect their power and abilities, but the bonuses can be turned off. The game is a treat for fans of superheroes. The characters look great, the special attacks feel true to their powers and themes, the arenas have a few interactive elements, useful for adding some spice to your combo.

Injustice 2

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SoulCalibur VI

The SoulCalibur series has a long history, and occasionally convoluted story involving a demon sword, its purified counterpart, and people who get to wield them.

SoulCalibur VI reboots the series’ story but keeps the essence: duels of melee weapons users of extraordinary skill. There’s also Geralt of Rivia, who fits in very well with the likes of Zasalamel or Mitsurugi, even with his magic Signs.

SC6’s presentation is top notch, and the animation system manages to work really well with the abominations which can be made using the game’s extremely flexible fighter creation tools. If good old fisticuffs aren’t a flavour of fighting games you enjoy and you’d rather slice and dice people from all over the world with anything from swords to sharp hula hoops SoulCalibur VI is your best bet.

SoulCalibur VI

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Mortal Kombat 11

Mortal Kombat 11 introduced excessive time travel to the MK reboot’s storyline, and it resulted in a really fun, really cheesy game which allows you to have old Johnny Cage beat up your Johnny Cage.

Win-win scenario! Jokes aside, NetherRealm clearly knows how to make a great fighting game, and MK11 is a result of polishing the gameplay over almost three decades of experience with the franchise.

The Fatalities, Brutalities, and all other kinds of special attacks are meticulously animated, and benefit from MK11 detailed, if stylised, graphics. There’s even a healthy dose of customisation. There are some pre-made loadouts, but you can also prepare your own, choosing the appearance and moveset of any fighter you want to play as. MK11 is absolutely worth checking out.

Mortal Kombat 11

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Horizon Zero Dawn/Forbidden West

Much has been said about the magnificence of Guerilla Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn, a fascinating action game set on post-apocalyptic Earth. The game received a big expansion,

The Frozen Wilds, and a 2022 sequel Forbidden West, so there’s plenty to enjoy. The games follow Aloy, a young hunter living among tribes or people who have make a life alongside animalistic robots dominating the world

No matter which instalment you’re playing, you’re in for a stunning, vibrant world with a very interesting backstory. The first game covers the origin of Aloy, and her struggle to stop a corrupting influence which causes robots to become more aggressive. In the second game, she’s travelling to a distant land, seeking a cure for a weird plague troubling her people

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)

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Horizon Zero Dawn | Complete Edition

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